Top Gun Jenny is flying high
Jennifer Barringer is ‘flying high’ as the US steeplechase record holder. She spoke to spikesmag.com about how training with the Air Force Academy has helped launch her career skywards.
Training with the Air Force Academy sounds a little unusual, how did it come about?
JB: I was in the 2007 World Championships in Osaka and I got to know Juli Henner, who was assistant women’s coach for the US team there. Over the course of the next two years she moved from Washington DC to Colorado Springs and she was offered the position as head coach with the Air Force academy. After I graduated from college I was looking to re-establish my career so I contacted her. She suggested she could coach me and it started from there.
Was it an intimidating prospect at first to train alongside the Air Force Academy?
JB: Oh, absolutely. It’s a long drive from the security gate right up to the field house and the first time I went there I remember explosions taking place by the side of the road or a plane would come flying in. It was really intimidating. I also learned the cadets life is so regimented and rigorous. It has ended up being a really fantastic thing.
As you did not come from a military background, did you really have to prove yourself?
JB: I definitely thought of myself as an outsider. I thought these people are not going to be impressed by me. This girl that works out every day makes dinner and goes to bed, but I was really surprised that they have a lot of respect for me. I think the fact I’m totally committed to what I do means we have a lot more in common than I thought.
Any examples of where training with the Air Force Academy has really helped you?
JB: What I never realised is when I came to the Air Force and these kids come to practise it was the least demanding part of their day. For them they were at their most relaxed. It was the most fun part of their day. It made me more relaxed and more laid back in practise and that has been really helpful for me.
You train with some guys in the Academy. What standard are they?
JB: It’s funny because there is a really good group of men who are one level ahead of me. Guys on the team who can consistently run under 14:00 for the 5km. We’ve got a few guys on the cusp of that, so I have many guys who can out-train and outrace me. The thing that brings us together is we are really willing to work hard and risk running hard.
They must have some interesting anecdotes and stories?
JB: That is a really great question. They are some really great stories about the cadets. It is funny, their life is so much more organised than the college students and it does make me laugh when they say the sort of things they try to get away with. Nobody would really care if you did that at a normal college. One thing that is bizarre is when you are out on a run with the cadets these are people who are jumping out of air planes and flying gliders but for them it is just every day life. That side of it is definitely bizarre and every once in a while I laugh at their stories.
Could you ever see yourself in the air force?
JB: No, but I have so much respect for what they do. I think it is incredible that 17 and 18 year olds choose to make this their track in life. They are really committed and hard working and I really respect that.
To what extend have the air force contributed to the success you have enjoyed?
JB: It’s a really great question. Firstly, their level of commitment has helped put my running in perspective. I wake up every morning and dedicate my day to be stronger, faster and better but it’s great for me to drive on this Air Force field every day and know they are willing to sacrifice ten plus years of their life to serve their country and put themselves at risk.
The cadets you train with will eventually go to war. Is that hard for you to accept?
JB: Yes. I was online a few days ago and one of the cadets he was talking about how he really wants to fly helicopters instead of planes. The whole conversation is funny to me because there are very few 21 year olds making these decisions. He said one of the downsides is there is a lot more work involved and it really moved me. It is really hard to think that these people I really care about and respect are willing to put themselves in harms way for a job that they think is really important.
If you were a jet pilot, what type of plane would sum up your career?
JB: I think I would probably be somebody in air traffic control. I don’t think I’d be flying any plane as I wouldn’t feel in total control of the situation, I think they’d definitely see me as some sort of air traffic control trying to tell everyone what to do.
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